The Best Bars in São Paulo (2026)

Exímia

Created in 2024 by award-winning bartender Márcio Silva, Exímia, from the Latin for the constant pursuit of perfection, drinks its way through Brazil's diversity: native ingredients like amburana and cambuci, menus informed by anthropology and history, and food by chef Manu Buffara built to echo the cocktails. No. 20 on The 50 Best Bars 2026, up from No. 61 in 2025; now above Restaurante Locale in Itaim Bibi.

Rua Manuel Guedes 369, 2º piso, Itaim Bibi, São Paulo 04536-070Tue-Sat

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Tan Tan

Tan Tan began in 2015 as a small Japanese noodle bar conceived by Thiago Banares and grew into a hybrid of restaurant and bar in Pinheiros, fusing Brazilian and Asian flavors. The menu is refreshed annually around an open bar and an open kitchen, with food inspired by Japanese chuka.

Order thisDirty Collinswhite cachaça, tequila, olive, Tahiti lime

R. Fradique Coutinho 153, Pinheiros, São Paulo 05416-010Tue-Sun

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Cocktail Bar

Solara Bar

Solara is an award-winning high-end cocktail bar founded in 2022 in Vila Madalena, São Paulo. Since opening, it has quickly established itself as one of Brazil’s most distinctive independent bars, earning the Best Drinks Menu award from Prazeres da Mesa in both 2022, just 40 days after opening, and 2024, as well as three stars from the VEJA Comer & Beber guide. Its signature cocktail Manhattanhenge was also named one of the 10 best cocktails in São Paulo by VEJA SP. The bar’s house menu is conceived as a love letter to the sun: a curated collection of meticulously crafted cocktails built around sun-dependent ingredients, with each recipe requiring over 40 hours of preparation. Beyond its drinks, Solara stands out for its cultural relevance and positioning, being the only independent establishment outside North America certified by Bumble as a verified safe space for dates. Through The Sunshine Society, its annual international bartender exchange program, Solara brings acclaimed global bar talent to São Paulo, having hosted names from Thunderbolt, Barely Disfigured, Fable, Machete and Aruba Day Drink, connecting the city’s cocktail scene with some of the world’s most respected bars.

89 Original street

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Bar Brahma

'O bar do coração de São Paulo', on the most famous corner in Brazil, where Avenida São João meets Ipiranga, Bar Brahma is the city's live-music institution: four stages and some 200 shows a month over chope, cocktails and comida de boteco, voted the city's best bar by Folha de S.Paulo readers.

Av. São João 677, República, São Paulo - SP, 01035-100Mon-Thu 11:30-01:00, Fri-Sat 11:30-02:00, Sun 11:30-00:00

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Bar dos Arcos

Built among the foundations of the Theatro Municipal, Bar dos Arcos is all exposed sandstone and vaulted ceilings, its long illuminated tables a nod to the hotel bar in Kubrick's The Shining. Cocktails run from classics to tropical blends and low-alcohol elixirs, there's a ticketed 'Sala Secreta' tasting experience, and lunch is served upstairs in the Salão Dourado.

Theatro Municipal (subsolo), Praça Ramos de Azevedo s/n, Sé, São Paulo 01037-010Tue-Wed 18:00-01:00, Thu-Fri 18:00-02:00, Sat 18:00-03:00, closed Mon

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